Tubular article



Dec. 8, 1.936 B. B. KENDIG TUBULAR ARTICLE Fil ed Oct. 19, 1955 NTOR.

ATTORNEY.

Pl II Patented Dec. 8, 1936 TUBULAR ARTICLE Benton B. Kendig,Philadelphia,

Wescott Products Corp., Brooklyn,

Pa., assignor to N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application October 19, 1935, Serial No. 45,739

9 Claims.

This invention relates to devices such as tubular articles, and tomethods of making the same.

One object of the invention is to provide a device of the characterdescribed which shall require a minimum of material.

Another object is the provision of an improved device as set forth whichis adapted to be quickly and inexpensively manufactured, as bycontinuous automatic operations of machines which can be relativelyinexpensive, or which are generally stock machines for making devices ofthis character.

Another object is to furnish an improved device for the combined displayand holding of articles of different types, sizes and shapes.

Another object is to provide an improved method for effecting certainobjects set forth, wherein different steps can be practised manually orautomatically, and in different orders of the steps, with certain stepsadapted to be omitted or replaced by other steps, as may be required orde sired.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novelcombinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described in theirpreferred embodiments, pointed out in the subjoined claims, andillustrated in the annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated bythe same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a front or top plan view of a device embodying theinvention.

' Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional views taken on the respective lines 2-2and 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a rear or bottom plan view ofthe dev1ce.

Fig. 5 is a front or top plan view of a modified device embodying theinvention, with certain parts removed.

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a front or top plan view of another modification of theinvention.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a blank showing a step in the process ofmanufacture.

Fig. 9 is a similar view showing thefnext step in the method ofmanufacture, and also adapted toexemplify a still further modificationof the invention.

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line ill-40 of Fig. 9.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized whenall of its features and instrumentalities are combined in one and thesame structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less thanthe whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which the inventionappertains, that the same may be incorporated in several differentconstructions. The accompanying drawing, therefore, is submitted merelyas showing the preferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, ill denotes a device embodying theinvention. The same may be or is adapted to be wholly or partially oftubular form, and may be normally fiat or expanded as desired. Thus thedevice l0 may have one or more fold lines such as H, the number of foldlines being increased according to the desired expansion of the device.The device may be wholly or partially open or closed at one or both endsthereof, and in this instance, may be wholly open ended.

Regardless of specific details of construction according to variedpossible uses of the device, as for receiving laundered shirt envelopesor such envelopes as have been newly manufactured (for which latterpurpose, the device is sufficiently cheap), or for receiving cloths,toys and other varied articles, or for use primarily as a windowdisplay, with the reception of an article as a secondary consideration,the device affords certain advantages which may be obtained jointly orseverally, as the saving of approximately 40 percent inmaterial, and thefurther advantage that the devicecan be made of a single piece ofmaterial, and the still further advantage that it can be produced bynovel continuous simplified methods. Heretofore articles of thischaracter, for instance, shirt envelopes, have been made with front andrear. walls continuous, whereas in this invention band portions are usedto build up the front and rear walls, and with this feature there may,be associated the novel characteristic of article receiving or guidingtracks l2 to facilitate insertion of an article without catching on theband portions. According to another aspect of theinvention, sections cutout from a wall are usedto form or build up a companion wall for thetubular device. Thus a substantial saving in material can be obtainedand an envelope-produced which is superior in ruggedness to the deviceshaving stiff rear walls and thin pliable light weight material frontwalls which have been attemptedto conserve material. Certain of theseadvantages will be more fully understood on considering the methodhereinafter described, and wherein the additional feature of connectingthe cut out section in register with the resulting opening, to thus formthe tubular structure by a particularly simple process, will bedescribed.

Referring again in detail to the drawing, the track or guide portions I2may have front and rear flange portions I3, I 4 respectively, defined bythe line or fold line II. The rear flanges I4 may be of greater widththan the front flanges. Interconnecting the front flanges are one ormore band portions I5, it which are desirably integral with said flangesI3. The band portions may define a top opening or cut off I! and anintermediate opening I8. The said openings are both indicated by thesection shown in Fig. 2.

In register with the openings I I, I8 are the band portions I9, 25respectively, both connected to the rear flanges I4 as at those facesthereof that are nearest to the front wall structure of the device.Consistent with the width of the flanges I3 as being narrower than theflanges I4, the said openings II, I8 overlap the rear flanges I4. Hencethe band portions I9, 20 overlap the rear flanges I4 to facilitateconnection thereto.

The different band portions may have any desired conformation. Thus thelower edge of the opening II, that is, the top edge of the band I5, maybe shaped at IIa to engage under and support the shirt collar ZI shownin dotted lines, in a well known manner. The band I 9 will naturallyhave a corresponding curved lower edge conformation. The lower edge ofthe band I6 may have a decorative conformation 22, and the upper edge ofthe band I9 may have a precisely similar conformation 23 to facilitatethe manufacture of the envelope from a continuous strip of materialwithout any waste. The different registering conformations throughoutavoid the necessity of waste ejecting devices to prevent clogging of amachine by cut out discard parts.

Along the common edge between the bands I5 and 20 I may provide anopening or cut out 24 to facilitate separation of these bands forinsertion of an article into the device.

It will be noted that the rear wall of the device as shown in Fig. 4provides a bottom opening 25, and an intermediate opening 26 between thebands I9 and 20, these openings 25, 26 being in respective register withthe bands I6 and I5.

To insert an article such as a shirt, the operator opens the device IIIso that the bands I5, I6 form a front wall, and the bands I9, 20 form arear wall, and thereupon inserts an article such as a shirt between saidwalls with the collar receiving and engaging the points or supportingportions at Ila of the band I5. The band I9 affords a rear support tomaintain the article in engagement with the support IIa, and alsoprotects the collar. The band 20 is of sufficient extent lengthwise ofthe device I0 to afford ample support under the article or shirt.

It will be observed that the opening I8 affords a large display windowfor observation of the front of the shirt or other article. Likewise thecollar is exposed, and the rear of the shirt may be observed through theopenings 25, 26. Thus the article or shirt can be rapidly inspected andchecked after being packed in its final form.

It will be noted that in packing the devices III, the same may assumeextremely compact form with the different bands I5, I6 interfitting withthe relatively staggered bands I9, 20; or being received in theirregistering openings 26, 25 and I1,

I8. That is, there will be only two thicknesses of material.

Due to the substantial width of the flanges I4, ample support isafforded for the edge portions of the article or shirt at the rearopenings 25, 26. Further, these flanges i4 afford an ample guide tofacilitate rapid insertion of the article without causing the same tocatch on the band 20.

The device II] can of course be made of cardboard or any other flexible,pliable or stiff material. The securement of bands I9, 20 to the flangesmay be by means of adhesive, or other fastenings.

In Figs. 5 and 6 is shown a modification of the invention including adevice 3 3 which differs from the device I0 primarily in having a frontwall of two bands 3|, 32 and a rear wall of three bands 33, 34, 35 forfuller support of the article.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modification 36 which differs from the device IIIprimarily in having its front wall consisting of a single band 3'! inconjunction with the wider front flanges 38 which correspond to the rearflanges I4. The rear wall consists of bands 39, 40.

In Figs. 8 to 10 are shown features embodying steps of the method ofmaking any of the foregoing devices. A blank li out from a strip takenfrom a roll of material, with upper and lower edges adapted to registerwith each other, may be formed with slits 42, 43, extending lengthwiseof the blank, and having transverse slits 44, 45 respectively extendingtoward each other. The slits are spaced from the side edges 45 of theblank and the general arrangement is adapted to produce the device II].If desired, score or fold lines 41 may be simultaneously formedintermediate of the slits and the side edges to correspond to the foldlines I I. In any case, the folds or flanges I4 are now formed, as shownin Fig. 9, to overlap the slits 42, 43 and the slits 44, 45 at leastpartially.

The flanges I l or parts to be connected thereto may have been initiallycoated with adhesive, as at 48a, 4911., or may be so coated afterslitting and before folding, and in any event, the flanges I4 are nowsecured to the narrow portions 48, 49 defined by the slits and locatedbetween comp1ementary slits to produce a structure clearly shown in Fig.10. Thereafter, the slits are continued or interconnected as may bedesired, or as indicated by the dotted lines 58, 5! to complete thearticle ID. These slits 58, 5I may, of course, be made without cuttingthe flanges I4. This method prevents accidental loss, or misalinement ofparts in course of securement since the sections at 48, 49 are reliablyintegrally held during the operation of securing and moving the deviceto device of Figs. 9 and 10 may represent a completed device adapted tohold an article that may be engaged or inserted into certain of theslits 42, 43.

I claim:

1. A tubular sheet material structure comprising a wall having a panelsection, and marginal flanges therefor folded toward each other, saidpanel section having an opening, and a connecting section of materialcut out in forming said opening, said connecting section being connectedwith said flanges and being otherwise wholly separate of the panelsection to provide a panel to complete the tubular formation of saidstructure, and the connections between the flanges and the connectingsection being in alinement with certain edges of said opening so thatsaid connections are directly accessible through said opening to permitthe flanges and connecting section to be interconnected.

2. A tubular article of sheet material having a wall comprising a paneland flanges folded toward each other upon said panel, said panel havinga continuous opening overlapping said flanges, a section of materialadapted to fit in said opening, said section being adhesively secured tosaid flanges separately of the first named panel to form a companionpanel for the first named panel.

3. A tubular article adapted to be constructed from a single piece ofsheet material, including a wall having a front section, oppositemarginal flanges for said section and connected integrally thereto, saidsection having an opening, and a sheet of material adapted to becompletely out out in cutting said opening, said sheet of material being separate of the said section and being connected to said flanges tolie in register with said opening, and the connections being within theconfines of the adjacent opening of the front section.

4. A tubular structure having side walls offset with respect to eachother along the plane of said walls, and track elements extendingmarginally along the side walls and interconnecting the same to guide anarticle into the structure between said walls, said track elements eachhaving a pair of flanges lying substantially in the planes of therespective walls, and one of said flanges of an element being wider thanthe other flange thereof, the narrow and wide flanges being integral andnon integral with the respective walls connected thereto.

5. A device including a wall having fold lines deflning marginalflanges, said flanges extending toward each other and lying along oneside of said wall, said wall having a continuous opening transverse tothe direction of said flanges, said opening having each of its ends at apoint intermediate of a fold linev and the free edge of an adjacentflange, and a piece of material adapted to be removed from said wall incutting said opening, said piece of material being separate of said walland being connected to said flanges at the free edges thereof inregister with said opening, and said piece of material overlapping theflanges at that side thereof which faces said wall and lying whollyalong the plane of said flanges.

6. A shirt envelope consisting of a single piece of stock having a flatfront wall and spaced marginal flanges folded flatwise thereunder, asection cut from said wall to provide an opening overlapping adjacentfree edges of said flanges, the latter being adapted to lie against saidwall, said section being adhesively united, in register with saidopening, with the edge portions of the flanges exposed at said opening,at those faces of said edge portions that are disposed toward said wall,whereby said section can be adhesively connected to said flanges whilebeing held by said wall.

'7. A blank for a shirt envelope, including a single sheet of materialproviding a wall having longitudinal spaced fold lines defining marginalflanges bent under said wall, the latter having initially formed slitsspaced from the fold lines and extending along and directly overlyingsaid flanges, the ends of said slits being inward with respect to thefree edges of the flanges, the slits defining therebetween a sectionadapted to be secured to the flanges and to be separated from said wallby cuts intercommunicating the corresponding ends of the slits.

8. A blank for a shirt envelope including a single sheet of materialproviding a wall having longitudinal spaced fold lines defining marginalflanges bent under said wall, the latter having initially formed slitsspaced from the fold lines and extending along and directly overlyingsaid flanges, the ends of said slits being inward with respect to thefree edges of the flanges, the slits defining therebetween a sectionadapted to be secured to the flanges and to be separated from said wallby cuts intercommunicating the corresponding ends of the slits, andmarginal portions of said section along the slits and overlying theflanges being adhesively united to said flanges.

9. A shirt envelope blank consisting of a sheet of material havingparallel edges and fold lines spaced from said edges, said blank havingslits correspondingly arranged in the section between the fold lines andbeing in spaced parallel relation thereto, the spacing between the slitsand the fold lines being less than that between the fold lines and thefree edges of the blank, and the slits having closed ends extendingtoward the center of the blank.

BENTON B. KENDIG.

